US, South Korea willing to engage with North Korea for denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula
- US, South Korea also pledge close cooperation on a number of other strategic fronts ranging from Myanmar to the South China Sea
- US President Joe Biden announces the appointment of Sung Kim, as Washington’s special envoy to North Korea
The United States and South Korea on Friday expressed willingness to engage diplomatically with North Korea as they sought the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, while also pledging close cooperation on a number of other strategic fronts ranging from Myanmar to the South China Sea.
Speaking alongside Biden, South Korean president Moon Jae-in viewed the appointment as a reflection of “the firm commitment for the US for exploring diplomacy and its readiness for dialogue with North Korea”.
“I have high expectations,” Moon, speaking through an interpreter, said of Kim. “All the more [given that] such a man of high calibre with expertise in the Korean Peninsula issues has been appointed”.
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Kim served in the same role for two years during the Obama administration, before going on to take on other diplomatic roles, including ambassadorships to the Philippines and Indonesia.
Biden said that both the US and South Korea were “deeply concerned” about the North Korean issue, expressing a willingness to take “pragmatic steps that will reduce tensions”.